


Before Anything Good

by terripple



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Adolescence, Bad Writing, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Buckle yer seatbelts folks its a long way before any romance hits the road, Childhood, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Debating whether i should split this up, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Financial dependency, I'm Bad At Summaries, Im too emotionally invested in this, Inconsistent tenses...because i really suck at that lol, POV Third Person, Pre-Canon, Prepare for a lot of original content, Sisterly Love, Slow Burn, This might be a long prologue before going into canon?, Trust Issues, bisexual reader, i TRY not to use y/n a lot, implied abusive relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26204353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terripple/pseuds/terripple
Summary: Barely one month of living on the streets, and Mako has grown skeptical of anything good that's offered freely to him. When the girl from the other side of town calls him stinky and demands he take a shower, he might just be right about his newfound cynicism.
Relationships: Asami Sato/Reader, Bolin & Reader, Mako (Avatar)/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. c'mere, stinky

**Author's Note:**

> Chat with me or send an ask on my tumblr [kitchenangst](https://kitchenangst.tumblr.com/)!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako hates how everyone treats him, but maybe he can give this girl the benefit of the doubt.
> 
> Word count: 1.9k

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my first time writing! Feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! Let me know if there are any errors! 
> 
> Warnings: bad writing (applied to every chapter)

Mako hated it. The crawling suspicion of stares grabbing him like wisps of fire over his body whenever he walked down the streets never left, even if he was in the faux safety of the dark alleyway he now had no choice but to call home. He couldn't help looking around, trying to find the pair of eyes that pitied him, the sneaky hands that tried to pickpocket the only remaining yuans he had, or the thoughts that hated dirty, useless, rotten children who had nothing better to do than steal for survival.

He unconsciously reached for his little brother's hand and hunched his shoulders to his ears, the red scarf loosely wrapped around his shoulders reaching higher and higher up his face as his eyebrows deepening his scowl moved lower and lower and his legs dragging themselves faster and faster.

He ignored the tugging on his hand until he heard his brother's strained call, "Mako? Ow, ow, ow!"

Mako whipped around to face his brother just as he stopped in his tracks. "Bolin! Are you okay?" His eyebrows undoing the previous tension and raising in concern before realizing Bolin was pulling his own hand free from the bruising grasp he held. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your hand," he lamely responded with a wince despite not being the one in pain. His hand found its place on his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, I spotted those bullies from yesterday. Let's get going."

Mako's eyes continued to flicker around, only returning Bolin's gaze once he noticed the subtle nod of his head. He let Bolin walk ahead of him, his own hand protectively hovering over the younger one's shoulder, and continued to walk at Bolin's pace. Admittedly, it was slower than the one he usually walks. Bolin, at the age of 6, isn't as tall as Mako, doesn't have the will to keep his stomach from growling even longer, and sees walking leisurely as a better way to conserve energy than speeding away from bullies.

The low humming of fire crackling and the unpredictable wisps dancing along his skin returns, and he can't help but grab Bolin's shoulder more firmly, moreso to ground himself from getting lost in the uncontrollable heat than to run away at a moment's notice. He pockets his other hand and busies himself with recounting the yuans he brought today. At the count of 21, his head follows the sudden blur in the corner of his eye, making sure to remember every face that so much as makes eye contact, stare, leer-

"Mako?" Bolin calls when the hand on his shoulder is near a death grip, which, to his relief, immediately loosens. "Can we get dinner? At the place with the nice lady who gives us free tea?"

\--

1358 yuans. That's the remaining amount of currency they had after selling every article of clothing and anything salvageable from their wrecked home once their parents passed. That's enough for about 6 weeks if they keep eating at food stalls for breakfast and dinner and split it between the two. 2 months, at the very least, if they were to live off of apple-peaches, maybe longer if they resort to stealing--

No! They're orphans, living on the streets, having just lost their parents and in no way, able to contact their relatives from Ba Sing Se. Even after being turned away from every door, they still had to be law-abiding citizens and were expected to pay for their needs. Then what had they done for their parents to pay their life for them to end up huddling underneath the worn down cardboard as their blanket? Mako blinks the stinging feeling of tears away before they have the chance to form.

Even after 2 weeks of the unfortunate event, Mako and Bolin still couldn't get used to the hard concrete beneath them, how the cardboard will never be as soft as a blanket or wrap around their shivering forms, or how their dad's scarf that smells like home was starting to smell like sweat and smoke. Although Mako wears it during the day, he makes sure to wrap it around Bolin’s neck, and leaves the ends of it centered between their two forms once they lay down.

Mako thanks his mom for teaching him the basics of fire bending, seeing as Bolin revels in the warmth of the flame lit between them that paints his face in the softest of oranges and reds better than any compliment or praise. He kept the flame lit, reciting his mother’s bedtime stories until Bolin's eyelids grew heavy and were far and fewer in between blinks. With a small smile, he pulls the cardboard over their shoulders once Bolin returns his good night, and lets sleep take over.

\--

Wake, eat, restroom, sleep. Although it wasn’t always in that order, the two brothers were growing familiar with the schedule. Protect their money, check their money, and use it sparingly. Luckily, Bolin was able to earthbend a small chunk of the ground out to place their money. It looked a little out of place… and anyone could bend or dig it out… but it was better than placing it directly underneath anything else (they did put some effort into concealing it by adding more rocks around it). Other than protecting their money, they deal with the bullies who happen to always start the verbal war, and it usually ends with either the brothers running away or with their parents scolding them. Whatever their reason, the two are just glad to see them gone.

“Why are you two just sitting there?”

 _Speak of the devil,_ Mako internally groans as he puts himself in front of Bolin. He looks up to tell the person to screw off, but halts at the new face. Just a few feet away, a little further from the alley entryway, the setting sun casts a warm shadow on a girl, no older than him, with her brows furrowed and a frowning mouth to match.

Bolin’s form visibly shrinks at the new person, and in Mako’s legs, the flames grow frantic and set his instincts on fire to run and to leave before her parents would confront them with their pitiful stares and-

“Are you lost?” Her voice lifts in confusion and distracts him from his turmoil.

With a scowl, Mako responds, “Just leave us alone.” To get the message across, he crosses his arms and looks as intimidating as he could.

Not frightened in the slightest, she persists. “Why? Won’t your parents worr-”

“We don’t have any!” Mako's hands gesture wildly, as if pointing in every direction will show her his parents are nowhere to be found.

Her eyes find their way to Bolin’s before meeting Mako’s again, and her brows lift in understanding. “Oh… I don’t know what to say…” Whatever expression she wore turns blue quickly.

“Then don’t,” Mako spits at her with any remaining energy he has. Even briefly mentioning his parents always leaves a sour note in his mouth and somehow drains him of his energy. “Better yet, just leave us alone!”

The next few seconds drag out like months with the way Mako glares at her, and he’s caught off guard when she suddenly grabs his hand and tugs him out of the alleyway, too flustered at the thought of holding hands to yank it out. She looks over her shoulder, making brief eye contact with Bolin as she motions for him to follow her.

“Where are you taking us?” Bolin questions once he catches up. “You’re not taking us to the butcher, are you? To be butched?”

She looks down at him and laughs. “Silly pig-bear! I don’t think you’ll be very tasty when you haven’t taken a bath!” Mako quickly swipes his hand from her hold to grab Bolin, who was frozen at her blunt statement. “No, no! I was joking,” she quickly explains at the sight of Bolin’s fearful eyes and Mako beginning to drag them away from her. “No, I just wanted to take you to the bakery!” As if timed, their stomachs growl at the mention of baked goods.

With great reluctance and Bolin’s pout, Mako gives in. “Fine, but only if you’re paying.”

She tugs their hands to their destination again, the swinging in her arms, the upbeat humming, and the bounce in her step all indicating her happy mood. Happy for what, Mako doesn’t know. He wouldn’t understand why a stranger would be willing to bring them somewhere to eat unless she had some sort of intentions. Her mood was effective in lowering his guard a bit, though, if it meant that the handholding wasn’t as unpleasant as he thought it would be when it was for something other than life threatening. Even Bolin had gotten over his initial dilemma to ask, “So, how are you paying?”

“How else would I buy the bread?”

“Well, sometimes we steal apples to save money.”

Just when the girl opens her mouth to respond, Mako quips in. “Money that we don’t have!” The weird look she gives prompts him further, “Because… We’re homeless, and we don’t have any…” Right, because any idiot would be dumb enough to say they have money unprotected while they’re away from it.

At her nodding, she stares ahead, expression saddening as she starts to speak, “I’m not going to force you to come and pay, if that’s what you’re worried about… If you guys don’t have any money, how have you been eating when you can’t steal?”

Mako’s shoulders begin to relax at the thought of not paying for food, having hardly noticed that they were tense the entire time, while Bolin faces the ground, as if what he was saying next would bring him shame. “Sometimes we don’t eat at all.”

And they advance to their destination quicker, if her sudden change in pace were any indication of her giving these two food faster would make the dampened mood lighten up. Her grip tightens as if telling them it’ll be okay, and for a moment, Mako believes in the nonverbal reassurance. For the past 3 weeks, Mako has grown accustomed to the nasty looks he’s given when he’s trying to scour for free food, and only knew of a hand that was used to put him in his place, to bring more pain into his life than he needed, to point fingers, and he hated any hand motion other than being motionless by the side of its owner. Now… maybe he can count on this hand as the one that leads him towards the dimming fire that he tried to put out during his time on the streets.

She lets go of their hands to face them. Both brothers look to their right as the crisp aroma drifts into their noses, the scent filling their bodies with the familiar warmth they haven’t felt since before their parent’s death. “Okay, before we eat! You guys _stink,_ ” she announces to bring their attention back to her.

 _Nevermind. I take it all back._ Mako’s brows scrunch the same moment her nose does when he opens his mouth. “What do you expect from two homeless kids?”

“We don’t even have washed clothes,” Bolin adds.

“Okay!” Her eyes were as bright as the bulb that lit her ideas. “Because I’m paying, you two have to take a bath. Or shower. Whichever you prefer.”

“And you suggest we do that…” At her confused look, Mako continues, “where?”

“My house, dummies!” Their rigid nodding making her nod along excitedly at the idea of doing good. She opens the door to the bakery, the bell above chiming and the faint aroma from before now assaulting the party’s noses as they take in all the bread on display.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! also you'd think after reading for so long, writing would come to you haha no so make sure you appreciate authors and writers! I do plan on fleshing this story out all the way to book 4, but I have no idea how long that'll take or if it will be done at all. also sorry this ended weirdly but i'm tired and I just wanted to get it out there and the way i planned it would've been SO long so i'm splitting this bit into another part! it's a slow burn like i mentioned in warnings, but yeah, be prepared. it's a LONG time before there's any romance going on hehe


	2. s'more, stinky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might not be stinky anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: brief implied abusive relationship, dialogue heavy, language, Bolin used as comic relief, this is literally filler fluff
> 
> new game: drink water whenever someone gets called stinky hehe
> 
> word count: 2.2k

After exchanging transactions and names, the three sat on a bench outside with a hefty bag of baked goods. Bolin bounced in his seat as he patiently waited for the girl, who introduced herself as Yn, to pass him his bread before eating her own. She reached into the bag with the napkin, making sure to hand over one of the bigger pieces. Grabbing at it with greedy hands and an appetite to match, he immediately scarfed down the brioche, but not before he said his thanks. He sighed in delight as the fluffiness of it melted on his tongue. “So good!!” 

Mako found himself smiling at Bolin’s infectious grin. “S’that so? Want a bite of mine?” He angled his spongy bread towards the younger one, who happily chomped on it. He returned his gaze forward as he continued to chew on his bread, the treat staving off some of the hunger. 

Yn giggled at the interaction, wanting to join the fun, and tugged on Mako’s sleeve. “Want a bite of mine?” Before Mako had a chance to respond, she had already shoved her bread into his mouth once he had turned towards her. After breaking the piece off, she lectured, “You should eat more! These will go bad if you don’t finish them! It’ll be a waste.” She ignored Mako’s flushed face, assuming he just needed water, and passed him his cup. 

Once he cleared his throat, Mako choked out, "Didn’t you ever consider the germs! You could be sick!”

“I’m not sick!” She cried defensively. “If I cared about your germs, I wouldn’t have offered you any of my bread!”

“Did you think that I might care about germs?!”

“I- Well, I-,” she immediately paused, her cheeks flushing as she looked down sheepishly, “-did not think about that. Sorry?” She looked back at him, the fear of losing her newly made friend reflecting in her expression.

“That’s okay! Mako’s just shy with girls,” Bolin helpfully announced. “Like when that one girl who lived across the street tried to offer some fruit and Mako just threw them-” 

“You can eat the rest,” Mako blankly offers, the remaining bread shoved in Bolin’s mouth. At Yn’s gaping mouth, Mako grabs the wrist holding her bread before guiding the food into her mouth. “You should, too.” A playful grin itches the corners of his mouth as he tries to keep a straight face. "It's not good to waste your food." He reaches into the bag to grab a different type of bread as if nothing happened and proceeds to chew on it. 

“Thaz nawht neigs!” 

At her muffled yelling, Mako’s eyes glint playfully. “What’s that? I smell really good?” She shoved him away the moment he tried to lean closer to her.

Once she swallowed, she reprimanded Mako’s behavior, claiming it’s not good to interrupt people talking. 

Mako shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Not really. When you have a brother, it’s okay to be mean.”

Her eyes narrowed, taking in his words. “Then, what about a sister? Would you be mean to her too?” 

He takes a moment to ponder. It was nice forgetting that he was an orphan and just enjoying food in the company of another. But he thinks back to the days he'd chase Bolin around the house and wonders if he'd also chase Yn around if she'd been there. After all, a friend wouldn't be too different from a sibling, right?

“I think it’d be okay to be mean to them, too.” Yn’s head nodded approvingly at the answer, humming appreciatively that there was no special treatment between siblings. “Not sure, though. I never really thought about it until now.”

“What about you, Yn? Do you have a brother or sister?” Bolin chimed in, now on his second bread. 

“None! But I’d like a sister or brother sometime! I think it’s neat to have a friend like that around all the time.” 

“Yeah, you can think of it like that. Or it’s someone annoying you all the time.” With another shrug, Mako pops the rest of the bread in his mouth and dusts the crumbs off his hands. 

Bolin clears his throat, climbs onto his knees, and holds Mako by the shoulders to steady himself before burping in his face. The immediate cringe his brother wears is enough to satisfy him, a triumphant grin settling on his face. “Or someone _you_ can annoy all the time!” 

Yn’s bark of laughter suddenly ends when suddenly the same cringe on Mako embraces her face. “Oh, you two are _really_ _stink_ -” but the other two don’t hear her finish her sentence as someone shouts her name over the stomping of ostrich horses in front of them. 

The lady towering over Yn from her seat inside the carriage looks frustrated, worried, and tired all at once. She hugs the girl the instant she exits the carriage, her eyes clenching softly in relief before she reopens them to look her form over. Making sure there aren’t any visible signs of dirt or scratches, she sighs. “Sweetie, why did you leave my side? You’re lucky I found you before anything happened!”

Yn puffs her chest and sits up straighter. The moment the word “mother” had left her mouth, Mako suddenly felt like he shouldn’t have been here, shouldn’t have gone for the bread, should be leaving, should be running. He stiffens when he makes eye contact with her mom, her eyes scanning their tattered clothes and thin coating of dust, settling on the scarf wrapped around Mako's neck with some form of recognition and pity. The _pity._ This was the exact moment he hated experiencing when parents realized their kids were around _them_ , the _orphans_. Mako makes an effort to hold back a scoff, suddenly remembering how it wasn’t proper social etiquette to be rude to those related to the one who have shown you kindness. 

“Mako, can we?” He turns to see Bolin holding his hands together in plea and lips pouting. 

"Uh..." Shit, he was not listening. "I don't know, Bo…"

“Please, I insist. Any friend of Yn is welcome to have dinner with us anytime.” The look in her eyes was hesitant compared to the shakey upward turn of her mouth. “I won’t make two orphans pay, if that’s what you’re worried about.” 

Although they were the same words spoken to him earlier that day, they didn’t feel as sweet coming from the lady than it did from her daughter. Why did she have to mention they were orphans? Did she know them? their parents? the culprit?

“Mako,” Bolin whispers. Tugging his sleeve close enough so that the other two wouldn’t hear, he continues whispering. “House. Stuff. Steal?” Mako’s face remained neutral, but Bolin’s idea did strike a chord… Maybe they had a collection? They wouldn’t notice a thing or two from it missing… Mako assumed position by crossing his arms and making an indecisive face, hand resting on his chin to pronounce the effect. “It’s free dinner! Just this once, please?” With his acting turned up by a notch, Bolin slings himself onto Mako’s shoulders with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. 

“Well… I could never say no to free food,” Mako returns stiffly. Gee, why couldn’t they just be natural. Even Bolin’s pout turned into a grimace. 

“Then let’s go now!” With no time for them to worry about how bad their acting was, the two of them were suddenly seated in the carriage on the opposite side from Yn and her mom. Yn bounced in her seat and swung her legs, her head tilting from side to side as if she was picking and choosing from a jar of questions to ask them, but only held back because of her mother being in the same space. 

The brothers shifted their eyes around the cart, not wanting to make eye contact at her mom, but not quite wanting to look at Yn either. Instead, Mako fiddled with the ends of his scarf while Bolin asked for another piece of bread. Smart, at least he wouldn’t be asked to talk if he was eating.

“Mother?” Yn’s tongue poked against the inside of her cheek, hesitant on whether she should ask something or not. At her mother’s inquiry, she continued, “Is this what kidnapping looks like?” 

Everyone turned to the sound of Bolin’s choking, who could barely hold the bottle of water being handed to him by Yn’s mother while Mako slapped his back harshly until he calmed down. “K-ki-kid- you’re kidnapping us?” He stared at the water and bread questionably. “Are these poisoned?! Am I going to… going to… melt… from the inside?” The tears in the corner of his widened eyes began to roll down at the thought of a painful death and he turned to Mako, barely comprehensible. “I told you! We shou-shouldn’t have come!” 

“You’re the one who wanted to go!” 

“You’re the one who _let_ us go!” Great. Now he was sobbing. 

Exasperated, Mako groans. “Fine! If it makes you feel better-” he takes a large swig from the same bottle Bolin drank from earlier, “-now we’ll _both_ melt from the inside!” Once Bolin’s sobs calmed down, he quickly added, “Better?” Bolin’s nod of approval stopped at the sound of Yn’s laughter on the other side, her mom simply covering her mouth with a little twinkle in her eyes. 

" _I_ wanna melt from the inside, too!” Yn plucked the bottle from Mako’s hands before chugging the rest, saying something about how poisoned water tasted better than regular water. 

“You’re free to leave anytime after dinner, by the way. We’ll even arrange a carriage to take you back,” Yn’s mother offered. 

Mako nodded slowly, the look in her eyes now seeming more genuine than it had outside the carriage. “Thank you. We’d really like that.” 

The rocking of the carriage and the stomping of the ostrich horses filled the silence afterwards. With nothing to do and the presence of her mother making her hold her tongue, Yn studied the two brothers’ features. She wasn’t sure of what the definition of pretty for boys was, but she was sure these two were it. 

Bolin was on the cuter side with his stubby nose helping his thick eyebrows emphasize his expressions, chubby cheeks filling like chimp-monkeys, and bright emerald eyes practically glowing as if untouched. Mako, on the other hand, had a more slender nose, the arch of his eyebrows curving naturally just before abruptly being pulled up to a mountain peak and dragging downwards on the thicker end, his cheeks close to hollowing out from lack of food, and golden eyes tinted and narrowed in suspicion every now and then. The apples of both their cheeks an angry pink and peeling from being sunburnt, paling in comparison to the deep red and soft cotton of Mako’s scarf. 

That couldn't have felt nice if they just left it alone… She sighed and started folding the empty bag of bread, wondering if her mother had any mud masks she could spare at home. 

\--

“And that’s how you turn off the sink!” Yn finished her explanation to the boys with a proud face, the bathroom lights adding just another bright layer to her eyes. 

“We know how to use the bathroom...”

“Then get to brushing your teeth! Your breath-”

“Stinks. We _know_.” 

Yn’s grin widens at Mako’s admittance, skipping out of the bathroom to help her mom prep for dinner. The dinner prep was simple since neither brothers had any special dietary needs or restrictions. The door unlocking was enough to stop her from turning on the stove to cook the chopped ingredients. Running to the door, she greeted her father with a slight bow and offered to take his coat and hat back to his room. 

Just as she exited her father’s room, she heard her name from Mako’s distressed call. “Can you get us towels? And some clothes?” His head was sticking out from the door and his damp hair clung to the sides of his face as he looked around frantically. 

“Oh! Sorry, how could I forget? Just wait a bit!” She’s about to turn the corner into the kitchen to ask her mother about the washed clothes, stopping when she hears the hushed whispers that could only belong to her parents. 

“No, those two kids! They’re San and Naoki’s kids!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Spirits, woman, do I have to spell everything for you? Did you see the damage of their house? They must have gotten _some_ money from selling stuff. Money that they’re hiding.”

“They’re just _kids_. When are you going to stop pulling this stunt?”

“I’ll stop when I stop. Now, where have you been seeing them hang around?” 

A heavy air of silence hangs around the area, and Yn nearly looks around the wall before her eyes widened at the familiar sound of a harsh clap thundering off the walls of the kitchen. Her hands flew to cover her mouth to repress her gasp. With shaky steps, she was barely able to turn around without tripping on her feet, the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears and blocking off the rest of their conversation as she made her way back to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this part was split once again :”) also some pieces of dialogue are based on conversations in real life and I thought it fit the three of them nicely! This is just some good filler fluff bc yall are gonna hate me for whats coming next 
> 
> And did i really use this chapter to describe mako's jetbrows...... .yes....
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter!!


	3. bye bye, stinky...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And off they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: implied abusive relationship, language, incoherent thoughts, really bad analogies
> 
> word count: 2.3k

_Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom, Mako, Bolin, bathroom_ \- her feet bring her to her destination, hand on the knob, ready to burst in- wait, no, knock first. 

The door opens slightly, revealing a part of Mako’s face before his hand sticks out expectantly. Yn stares at his open palm before slapping it with her own. 

“Sorry! Forgot the towels!” she calls tersely as she hurries to the towel cabinet, just as she heard the bathroom door shut. Running back to the bathroom at the same pace with the towels in her arms, she freezes halfway as she realized she had forgotten their _clothes._ Fuck, where _were_ the clothes, that’s the whole reason why she went to ask her mom in the first place. They had to be in the basket in her father’s room or _something_ , she concludes, whatever that something is. She breezes by the bathroom on her way there, leaving the towels on the doorknob with an urgent knock, not noticing that they had fallen to the ground before she returned to the room. 

_Clothes, clothes, what were their sizes_. Frantically digging through the basket, all she finds are her father’s garments. Turning to the dresser, she urgently starts pulling the drawers out one by one, lifting and throwing the folded clothes until she can find the pair of clothes, the _uniform,_ she realizes, that was always provided in faux hospitality.

As she continues to shuffle through the clothes, she can’t help but think that she should’ve just left the two in the alleyway (sympathy be damned, this was much more harmful than helpful) if she had known her father was going to _mug them_ of the only money they had left. 

Is that why they had so many ~~clothes~~ uniforms for various sizes? To rob the other orphans she had insisted on bringing home for dinner as well? Wasn’t it counterproductive to spend money on them when these orphans barely had money to spare? 

She finally finds 2 sets of ~~clothes~~ _uniforms_ : one roughly her size and another just slightly smaller. Without wasting a moment, she gathers them in her arms and races to the bathroom, rushing to stop her father before he leaves. However, she barely makes it out the door without him in the way. 

“Spirits, sweetie, what animal did you release in my room this time?” 

Finally sparing a glance around the room, Yn finds the state of the room just as messy as her mind. The clothes strewn everywhere and unorganized, thrown at rapid fire just like her thoughts. It dawns on her that he’s about to leave when he grabs his coat and hat… leave to _mug_ her new friends (if she was even allowed to call them that at this point), just like he had every time before today. 

“Father, where are you going?” she tries to ask normally, as unsuspectingly as possible, but the shaky pitch as she calls for his attention might as well have given away that she discovered his scheming. 

“Just picking up some money,” he responds coolly, sending a shiver down her spine and goosebumps in their wake. 

“From where?” Her fingers twitch in anticipation of his answer, hiding underneath the uniform. 

He way he forces a chuckle out to alleviate where the conversation is going, sickens her as he crouches down to her height. “My boss, of course.” The tight lipped smile he gives is all she needs to know he’s lying. 

“You-you’re not stealing from them, are you?” The very thought of it felt absurd, but saying it out loud left a bitter note on her tongue. She clutches onto the clothes, the fabric the only thing stopping her nails from digging into her palms. “They don’t have any money!” She whispers harshly, unsure if she wanted Mako and Bolin to hear from the other side of the hall. She couldn’t tell what was worse: knowing that stopping her father will impact the household or that this would affect the brothers for worse. Was picking one over the other any better? Did she even have a choice?

“Sweetie, we need the money, too, so just keep them occupied while I look for it.” An order, and one she had no choice but to follow.

His hand snaking around the back of her neck is enough to stop her from protesting. The firm squeeze making the words lose themselves in her throat and forced to be swallowed down if she didn’t want to choke on air. His smile was cold in comparison to the unspoken threat in his eyes, his nostrils flaring just slightly to serve as a reminder that someone will bear the punishment in her stead, and the slight raise in his eyebrows almost daring her to challenge him. 

Somehow, it scares her more than meeting the back of his hand. 

He finally releases his hold when she doesn’t say anything. “Well? Better get those clothes to those boys,” he reminds her while standing back to his full height. “It’ll be the only nice thing they’ll have in awhile!”

Her face pales as her feet drag her back to the bathroom, hardly registering that she left the room in the first place. Knocking on the door once again, she merely shoves the clothes in Mako’s face before he can stick his hand out the open door. “Dinner will be ready in a bit,” she mechanically says, looking away. She turns back at Mako’s thanks, immediately regretting it because her eyes speak of conflicts louder than she can say, regret written on her face clearer than a sunny day, and she fears that he catches on. She opens and closes her mouth, unsure if she should tell them. Before she decides on an answer, she promptly shuts the door on him and returns to the kitchen to help her mother. 

Hearing her mom’s upbeat humming with a large pink print donning her face as she sets the table nearly breaks Yn's heart. How could she pick between her mother and these two boys she just barely met? How would there be any way to satisfy both parties? She sighs at the conflict, her shoulders sagging at the thought of being unable to do anything for both of them. 

She begins filling the bowls with rice, her movements sluggish from dreading what will happen to Mako and Bolin. How will their opinion of her change? Will they forgive her? Will her mom forgive her if she makes the other two leave before her father could find their money, if they even had any? Was it like this every other time before? 

She hated it. The feeling of being tugged between two equally wrong decisions; the feeling of seeing the surface of the water while chained to the bottom, only barely being able to have the tip of her nose reach the surface for air; both of which her body would readily succumb to the dark. 

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” She looks up from her spot to find her mother’s concerned face. “You’re piling the rice,” she says with a playful grin. She gently takes the bowl and rice scooper out of Yn’s hands, pushing the rice piled past the bowl’s rim back into the cooker. She can’t help but think her mom could have pushed it into the last remaining bowl instead. 

She merely stares at her mom filling the last bowl, proceeding to frown at her mom. “Will you be eating tonight?” Yn’s voice comes out much smaller than she hoped, the lump in her throat making it hard for her to speak any louder. 

Her mom stares blankly at her, pondering for a few brief seconds before concluding, “I would hope so. I made plenty for all of us.” _Hope so._ The fact that she had to _think_ if she would eat, if she even got to, made Yn’s stomach lurch, stones piling in her abdomen, making it hard to filter out the guilt. “Those boys are nice. They should be able to take back any leftovers they want.” Her mom’s smile falters to a grimace, as if she was compensating them for their loss, for the misfortune she brought to them. At least she was doing something to balance the bad. What about Yn? What could she do? Her feet stay frozen to the ground, unmoving just like her problem. 

“Mmm!! Smells so good!!” Bolin’s call from the hallway snaps her out of her reverie. His head pokes out from the corner shortly afterward, eyes darting until they finally land on the table. “Mako! There’s food!” 

Bolin races to the seats at the round dining table with Mako shortly behind him, both unable to resist the enticing aromas of the meal and reach for their chopsticks, manners forgotten. Their mouths water at the sight of grilled fish and sauteed vegetables, and start piling it onto their bowls before scarfing it down with a wholehearted zeal that could light an entire town. 

“Doesn’t it feel nice to eat without being stinky,” Yn teases with good nature as she approaches the table with her bowl in hand. Climbing onto her seat, she begins piling the food into her own bowl as well, making sure to sneak the vegetables she liked less into her mom’s bowl. Dinner is quiet, save for a few chuckles from her mom at how Bolin practically squeals in delight at every bite, the crisp ring from chopsticks hitting the ceramic bowls or plates, and the dull thud of the cups tapping the wooden table whenever someone drank from it. 

This is nice, Yn thinks. She grins at the small smirk Mako gives Bolin when he puts more vegetables in his bowl, at the wide eyes that take up half of Mako’s face when her mom wipes the sauce off his mouth with a napkin, at Bolin’s little dancing when he thinks she didn’t notice he stole her favorite part of the fish from her bowl. It’s one of the more heartwarming dinners she hasn’t had in awhile, one where her mom’s eyes gleam from pure joy instead of unshed tears. The whole scene makes her almost forget about her dad, until she hears the doorknob shake. 

And like a crack in glass, the screeching of Yn’s chair scraping against the floor as she abruptly stands, ruins the whole atmosphere. Everyone stops mid-bite as they stare at her escaping the table. Mako and Bolin carry on after sharing a look while her mom struggles to swallow her food. 

Her feet slam against the floor, almost getting hit by the doorknob as it swings open. She cranes her neck to look at him in the eye, simply holding her hands out to gather his coat and hat for the second time that day. 

His hollow chuckle does nothing to warm her as he says, “What? No bow this time, sweetie? Did you forget how to greet people at the door?” The smile playing on his lips a menace and an indicator of his good mood as he recalls how successful his catch this time is. 

“No…” Almost shamefully, she bows slightly, her arms stiff as she brings them back to her side only to raise them again for his coat and hat. “Welcome back, father.” 

She dashes off to his bedroom the moment she retrieves them, patting the jacket and emptying the pockets for any signs of coins or bills, only to come out with a few yuans. Making sure to take it, she wedges it between the wall and the back of her dresser in her own room for later. 

She returns to the dinner table on time to see him seated between her chair and mother. The grilled fish she ate flops aggressively in her stomach when he mentions picking up money from his boss. A small bonus, he calls it. She catches Mako looking towards Bolin for a few brief seconds, eyes wary, at the amount.

About 1,300 yuans. It's a whole lot more than the amount she found in her father's coat. 

Is that how much they had? How were they able to have so much money despite being orphans? Where were they able to hide that amount? How was he able to find it? Where is he hiding their money if it wasn't in his coat?

Dinner is silent once again, yet the tension is enough to ruin her appetite. It doesn’t feel as heartwarming anymore, the table flooding with anxiety and defeat at the mere presence of her father. His attempt at small talk is choppy and near condescending. Mako’s posture had stiffened since her father sat down, but if the stoic expression resting on his face showed any discomfort at his tone, he didn’t say anything about it. His choice to make dry responses doesn’t deter her father, doesn’t stop the fact that they’re in his household, doesn’t hinder his good mood from robbing. 

The plates are eaten clean with leftovers packed neatly into containers for Mako and Bolin to eat for tomorrow. Before they leave, Yn makes sure to carefully tuck the yuans she stole from her father's coat earlier into the pockets of their washed clothes, leaving a messily scribbled note saying she was sorry. She returns the folded clothes to them just as they enter the carriage.

“Will I see you again?” It’s a stupid question, she thinks, yet she can’t help but be a little hopeful. Of course she can see them, but they might not want to see _her_ again, especially once they find out their money was stolen. 

“I don’t know. We don’t really have anywhere else to go, so maybe?” And it’s a naive response that’s bound to change soon enough. 

Bolin’s face grows more dopey with every passing second he tries to stay awake, likely tired from digesting all the food he devoured. Once they secure their seats, Mako says their thanks as the carriage rides off. Yn watches it as it grows smaller and smaller in the distance, yet it does nothing to quell the growing guilt in her gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall know I had to sneak in one last stinky before reaching the end of this chapter LOL i had to split this part AGAIN because it was too many words, and the next part will likely be the end of what i originally intended to have as part one,,, also updates may be slower from now since school is picking up the pace :(( anyway pls stay hydrated it’s like 100F where i am and it sucks

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is [kitchenangst](https://kitchenangst.tumblr.com/)! chat with me or send in any asks if you'd like!!!
> 
> Comments and kudos make me a lot happier than you think lol


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